Monday, June 1, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
LCP in The Columbus DIspatch
Columbus' own Liquid Crystal Project was in the Columbus Dispatch twice this week, highlighting their upcoming European Tour!
Local Limelight
King-Lincoln District Story
Local Limelight
King-Lincoln District Story
Monday, May 11, 2009
Liquid Crystal Project Embark on 2nd European Tour
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 11, 2009
For press, booking or other inquiries contact: Donna M. Marbury / Donna Marie Public Relations / 614.783.6598 / donnamarbury@gmail.com
COLUMBUS, OH—The Liquid Crystal Project will be embarking on their second European tour June 4-10, performing from their critically-acclaimed second album The Liquid Crystal Project 2. The band will be sharing the stage with Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan and Dialted Peoples in the Czech Republic and Germany.
With their unique blend of Jazz with a heavy Hip Hop influence, this is the Liquid Crystal Project’s second time touring Europe. In 2006, the band released their first album, which garnered attention across the world from Japan to Amsterdam. Since then, the Liquid Crystal Project has released a second album and has been featured on Ma Dukes Collection, a tribute to producer J Dilla.
2009 Liquid Crystal Project European Tour
6/4/2009 Prague, Czech Republic @ Lucerna Bar (w/ Ghostface Killah)
6/5/2009 Berlin, Germany @ Dot Club (w/ Ghostface Killah & Dilated Peoples)
6/6/2009 Hamburg, Germany @ Docks (w/ Ghostface & Dilated Peoples)
6/7/2009 Kassel, Germany @ K19
6/10/2009 Dresden, Germany @ Scheune (w/ Dilated Peoples)
More about The Liquid Crystal Project:
Jazz Hop is more than just a cliché music fusion. It's drums that make your head nod like it did in the Golden Age of Hip Hop. It's a saxophone that makes melodies that mimic your favorite emcee. It's chords that put you in the mind frame of J-Dilla and John Coltrane at the same time. It's fans that love the energy of real Hip Hop and the mellow feeling of Jazz.
Producer J Rawls, Keyboardist B-Jazz, Saxophonist Charles Cooper and Drummer Rob Riley embody the term Jazz-Hop as their second album continues to infuse elements of true Hip Hop with fundamental Jazz. Their influences run deep and their shows include dope originals and covers from Grover Washington Jr., Slum Village and Herbie Hancock.
After releasing THE LIQUID CRYSTAL PROJECT and touring the U.S. and Europe in 2006, THE LIQUID CRYSTAL PROJECT 2 was released in Fall 2008 and the group continues to push the boundaries of Jazz and Hip Hop.
Career Highlights
Featured on the Ma Dukes Collection, a tribute to producer J Dilla that featured The Roots, Bahamadia, Wordsworth and more
Toured Europe Winter 2006 and June 2009
Three headlining performances at Columbus, OH ComFest June 2009
J Rawls, prolific deejay and producer, has worked with Mos Def, Talib Kweli. Owner of record label Polar Records, distributed by Groove Attack in Germany
B-Jazz, producer of Eric Roberson’s hit song Head To Toe and If I Had A Chance
Also visit:
www.myspace.com/TheLiquidCrystalProject
For press, booking or other inquiries contact: Donna M. Marbury / Donna Marie Public Relations / 614.783.6598 / donnamarbury@gmail.com
COLUMBUS, OH—The Liquid Crystal Project will be embarking on their second European tour June 4-10, performing from their critically-acclaimed second album The Liquid Crystal Project 2. The band will be sharing the stage with Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan and Dialted Peoples in the Czech Republic and Germany.
With their unique blend of Jazz with a heavy Hip Hop influence, this is the Liquid Crystal Project’s second time touring Europe. In 2006, the band released their first album, which garnered attention across the world from Japan to Amsterdam. Since then, the Liquid Crystal Project has released a second album and has been featured on Ma Dukes Collection, a tribute to producer J Dilla.
2009 Liquid Crystal Project European Tour
6/4/2009 Prague, Czech Republic @ Lucerna Bar (w/ Ghostface Killah)
6/5/2009 Berlin, Germany @ Dot Club (w/ Ghostface Killah & Dilated Peoples)
6/6/2009 Hamburg, Germany @ Docks (w/ Ghostface & Dilated Peoples)
6/7/2009 Kassel, Germany @ K19
6/10/2009 Dresden, Germany @ Scheune (w/ Dilated Peoples)
More about The Liquid Crystal Project:
Jazz Hop is more than just a cliché music fusion. It's drums that make your head nod like it did in the Golden Age of Hip Hop. It's a saxophone that makes melodies that mimic your favorite emcee. It's chords that put you in the mind frame of J-Dilla and John Coltrane at the same time. It's fans that love the energy of real Hip Hop and the mellow feeling of Jazz.
Producer J Rawls, Keyboardist B-Jazz, Saxophonist Charles Cooper and Drummer Rob Riley embody the term Jazz-Hop as their second album continues to infuse elements of true Hip Hop with fundamental Jazz. Their influences run deep and their shows include dope originals and covers from Grover Washington Jr., Slum Village and Herbie Hancock.
After releasing THE LIQUID CRYSTAL PROJECT and touring the U.S. and Europe in 2006, THE LIQUID CRYSTAL PROJECT 2 was released in Fall 2008 and the group continues to push the boundaries of Jazz and Hip Hop.
Career Highlights
Featured on the Ma Dukes Collection, a tribute to producer J Dilla that featured The Roots, Bahamadia, Wordsworth and more
Toured Europe Winter 2006 and June 2009
Three headlining performances at Columbus, OH ComFest June 2009
J Rawls, prolific deejay and producer, has worked with Mos Def, Talib Kweli. Owner of record label Polar Records, distributed by Groove Attack in Germany
B-Jazz, producer of Eric Roberson’s hit song Head To Toe and If I Had A Chance
Also visit:
www.myspace.com/TheLiquidCrystalProject
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
'4th and High' Featured in Columbus Alive
Skin Deep: Makeup Bar at 4th and High
Thursday, May 21, 2009 5:48 AM
Jodi Miller photo
Jodi Miller photo
Jodi Miller photo
4th and High Hair and Fashion Boutique
1127 N. High St., Short North
614-299-2614
Next makeup bar: 4-10 p.m. June 6
1127 N. High St., Short North
614-299-2614
Next makeup bar: 4-10 p.m. June 6
Passersby outside the tall windows of a Short North shop took notice of the lively crowd, spinning DJ and flashes of camera lights during this month's Gallery Hop. The 4th and High Hair and Fashion Boutique was making its debut. And the owner hoped something else was getting noticed, too: the salon's makeup bar, which was helping customers get all dolled up before they headed out for the night.
Salon owner Christina Crump modeled the makeup bar after those in other major cities like New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles, where professional makeup artists provide touch-ups and makeovers while patrons sip cocktails. Crump thinks the concept will quickly catch on here.
"I started doing research ... and I said, 'That's what I want to do,' " recalled Crump, who is from Columbus and first saw a makeup bar on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta. "I loved everything about it."
The 4th and High salon is open by appointments weekdays, and the makeup bar will continue to be a Gallery Hop feature.
Eventually, Crump hopes to offer the cocktails-and-makeup services every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for women who want to get a new look and a little indulgence while they're out and about.
The boutique-like entrance area is converted into a makeup salon for the events, allowing women seated on tall chairs in the middle of the room to get their makeup done by professional artists.
Patrons can also browse the bold necklace-and-earring sets and trendy totes for sale on racks around the store, enjoy music from a live band or DJ, and grab wine, champagne or a mini-martini from the makeup-bar-tender.
During the opening event, groups of friends chatted and watched excitedly as makeup artists selected blushes and bright eyeshadow colors from their totes.
The "menu" of services includes everything from a makeup touch-up to dramatic allover application, with names like the "Flirtini" (includes everyday cosmetics like foundation, blush, mascara and lipstick) and "Makeover Mimosa" (comes with a mini-facial, eyebrow arch, lashes and makeup application).
The price of each service includes a drink to sip during the pampering process.
"I think the 'Flirtini' is going to be the most popular," Crump said. "That just sounds so flirty. And it's a natural look with a little pop. A little dramatic, but not that much."
Salon owner Christina Crump modeled the makeup bar after those in other major cities like New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles, where professional makeup artists provide touch-ups and makeovers while patrons sip cocktails. Crump thinks the concept will quickly catch on here.
"I started doing research ... and I said, 'That's what I want to do,' " recalled Crump, who is from Columbus and first saw a makeup bar on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta. "I loved everything about it."
The 4th and High salon is open by appointments weekdays, and the makeup bar will continue to be a Gallery Hop feature.
Eventually, Crump hopes to offer the cocktails-and-makeup services every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for women who want to get a new look and a little indulgence while they're out and about.
The boutique-like entrance area is converted into a makeup salon for the events, allowing women seated on tall chairs in the middle of the room to get their makeup done by professional artists.
Patrons can also browse the bold necklace-and-earring sets and trendy totes for sale on racks around the store, enjoy music from a live band or DJ, and grab wine, champagne or a mini-martini from the makeup-bar-tender.
During the opening event, groups of friends chatted and watched excitedly as makeup artists selected blushes and bright eyeshadow colors from their totes.
The "menu" of services includes everything from a makeup touch-up to dramatic allover application, with names like the "Flirtini" (includes everyday cosmetics like foundation, blush, mascara and lipstick) and "Makeover Mimosa" (comes with a mini-facial, eyebrow arch, lashes and makeup application).
The price of each service includes a drink to sip during the pampering process.
"I think the 'Flirtini' is going to be the most popular," Crump said. "That just sounds so flirty. And it's a natural look with a little pop. A little dramatic, but not that much."
Saturday, April 4, 2009
In The Media: BRUSH
Cultural Rebirth
New Near East Side social event adopts hip urban attitude
Saturday, April 4, 2009 3:02 AM
By Kevin Joy
| THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
On an unseasonably warm night in early March, a smiling Donna Marbury stood outside the Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop on the Near East Side as well-dressed professionals strolled along the block and jazz music wafted from an upstairs window.
To the 27-year-old, the scene seemed almost nostalgic.
"Back in the day, it was jumpin' on Long Street," said Marbury, a North Side resident who owns a public-relations company.
"It's a revival. I'm excited to see it."
The catalyst for her enthusiasm: a budding event called the BRUSH Experience (Black Renaissance Urban Sophisticated Hip), whose social palette blends art, music, cocktails and conversation.
Seeking an art-focused nighttime alternative, graphic designer Marshall Shorts founded the monthly BRUSH in February.
"I wanted somewhere I could be laid-back, be myself and have fun," said Shorts, a 2006 graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design.
Yet his efforts, inspired by a similar event he discovered in Atlanta, reach deeper than simply providing a good time.
"In the black community, art is kind of a dying culture," said Shorts, 25, of the East Side. "It's my motive to help revive that."
For $10 on the first Saturday of the month, patrons can sip a beer or glass of white wine, or sample live tunes or a disc jockey's stylings. Perhaps most appealing, they can create art with their peers (small canvases, brushes and paint are distributed to guests).
Hanging on a wall is a large mural, sketched in a paint-by-numbers style, to which patrons can contribute (last month, the mural was adapted from the cover of the 1957 John Coltrane album Blue Train).
Keeping with the theme, the quartet Liquid Crystal Project played "jazz-hop" interpretations of Coltrane tunes.
With a turnout of about 100 people, the upstairs room above Urban-Spirit -- in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood -- was bustling.
Yet it is only a small fraction of the people who patronize the Gallery Hop, the long-running Short North event on the same night each month. (The Gallery Hop, which will turn 25 in October, attracts up to 10,000 visitors in a single evening.)
The scheduling, Shorts said, was no accident.
"A lot of people I know aren't familiar with Gallery Hop -- parts of the inner city and urban community," he said. "This is something that is needed."
He hopes that those who attend BRUSH are inspired to check out the Short North offerings before or after his event (and, on the flip side, to prompt High Street dwellers to visit the monthly gathering on the Near East Side).
The King-Lincoln neighborhood -- bounded roughly by Atcheson Street, N. 20th Street, E. Long Street and I-71 -- was once a hot spot for black architects, entertainers and entrepreneurs, particularly in the 1930s and '40s. But later, as black families migrated to the suburbs and new highways severed pedestrian connections with Downtown, the area fell into disrepair.
Recently, though, the area's outlook has been brightened by the arrival of condominiums, several new black-owned businesses and the $13.5 million ongoing renovation of the Lincoln Theatre, a historic venue on Long Street in which Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway performed.
"It's a neighborhood that I believe is on the upswing," said Charity Martin-Via, a Columbus native who opened Urban-Spirit in February and rents her second-floor space to Shorts and other groups.
"I really want to be a part of anything that has to do with renewing the area."
Jodi Chandler, a 36-year-old Gahanna hairstylist, had been to a similar art-and-cocktails event in Washington and was impressed by the setup.
"It's still night life, but it's artistic," said Chandler, painting a self-portrait. "This is a safe environment."
Seated nearby was her friend, Paisha Thomas, a state worker who also paints and writes poetry.
"I'd rather hang out here than in a club," said Thomas, 34, of Gahanna.
"I like the chance to express myself and listen to music, maybe network. Just being around a crowd -- that's my style."
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/04/04/1_BRUSH.ART_ART_04-04-09_D1_6FDDNPS.html
New Near East Side social event adopts hip urban attitude
Saturday, April 4, 2009 3:02 AM
By Kevin Joy
| THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
On an unseasonably warm night in early March, a smiling Donna Marbury stood outside the Urban-Spirit Coffee Shop on the Near East Side as well-dressed professionals strolled along the block and jazz music wafted from an upstairs window.
To the 27-year-old, the scene seemed almost nostalgic.
"Back in the day, it was jumpin' on Long Street," said Marbury, a North Side resident who owns a public-relations company.
"It's a revival. I'm excited to see it."
The catalyst for her enthusiasm: a budding event called the BRUSH Experience (Black Renaissance Urban Sophisticated Hip), whose social palette blends art, music, cocktails and conversation.
Seeking an art-focused nighttime alternative, graphic designer Marshall Shorts founded the monthly BRUSH in February.
"I wanted somewhere I could be laid-back, be myself and have fun," said Shorts, a 2006 graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design.
Yet his efforts, inspired by a similar event he discovered in Atlanta, reach deeper than simply providing a good time.
"In the black community, art is kind of a dying culture," said Shorts, 25, of the East Side. "It's my motive to help revive that."
For $10 on the first Saturday of the month, patrons can sip a beer or glass of white wine, or sample live tunes or a disc jockey's stylings. Perhaps most appealing, they can create art with their peers (small canvases, brushes and paint are distributed to guests).
Hanging on a wall is a large mural, sketched in a paint-by-numbers style, to which patrons can contribute (last month, the mural was adapted from the cover of the 1957 John Coltrane album Blue Train).
Keeping with the theme, the quartet Liquid Crystal Project played "jazz-hop" interpretations of Coltrane tunes.
With a turnout of about 100 people, the upstairs room above Urban-Spirit -- in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood -- was bustling.
Yet it is only a small fraction of the people who patronize the Gallery Hop, the long-running Short North event on the same night each month. (The Gallery Hop, which will turn 25 in October, attracts up to 10,000 visitors in a single evening.)
The scheduling, Shorts said, was no accident.
"A lot of people I know aren't familiar with Gallery Hop -- parts of the inner city and urban community," he said. "This is something that is needed."
He hopes that those who attend BRUSH are inspired to check out the Short North offerings before or after his event (and, on the flip side, to prompt High Street dwellers to visit the monthly gathering on the Near East Side).
The King-Lincoln neighborhood -- bounded roughly by Atcheson Street, N. 20th Street, E. Long Street and I-71 -- was once a hot spot for black architects, entertainers and entrepreneurs, particularly in the 1930s and '40s. But later, as black families migrated to the suburbs and new highways severed pedestrian connections with Downtown, the area fell into disrepair.
Recently, though, the area's outlook has been brightened by the arrival of condominiums, several new black-owned businesses and the $13.5 million ongoing renovation of the Lincoln Theatre, a historic venue on Long Street in which Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway performed.
"It's a neighborhood that I believe is on the upswing," said Charity Martin-Via, a Columbus native who opened Urban-Spirit in February and rents her second-floor space to Shorts and other groups.
"I really want to be a part of anything that has to do with renewing the area."
Jodi Chandler, a 36-year-old Gahanna hairstylist, had been to a similar art-and-cocktails event in Washington and was impressed by the setup.
"It's still night life, but it's artistic," said Chandler, painting a self-portrait. "This is a safe environment."
Seated nearby was her friend, Paisha Thomas, a state worker who also paints and writes poetry.
"I'd rather hang out here than in a club," said Thomas, 34, of Gahanna.
"I like the chance to express myself and listen to music, maybe network. Just being around a crowd -- that's my style."
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2009/04/04/1_BRUSH.ART_ART_04-04-09_D1_6FDDNPS.html
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Rob Riley in Columbus Alive
All of the members of the Liquid Crystal Project are extremely diverse. Take for example, Rob Riley who not only is a heavy jazz, soul and R&B man...but also plays in a punk rock group! The group is called Stretch Lefty, and they were profiled in the weekly newspaper Columbus Alive. Enjoy!
.. .. 
..
Marquee
Stretch for the stars
Thursday, January 8, 2009 5:29 AM
.. Jodi Miller photo
.. Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas
When: Thursday, Jan. 8
Where: Scarlet & Grey Cafe, Campus
When: Friday, Jan. 9
Where: The Basement, Arena District
Web: stretchleftymusic.com
.. When: Thursday, Jan. 8
Where: Scarlet & Grey Cafe, Campus
When: Friday, Jan. 9
Where: The Basement, Arena District
Web: stretchleftymusic.com
Stretch Lefty has always tried to cross boundaries in their music. Now they're trying to break down walls across Columbus. The band, which has grown from a bizarre instrumental ensemble into a multihued hip-hop group with roots in reggae rhythm, recently partnered with longtime producer Austin Briggs to start an in-house promotions company called Big Bounce Boombox.
"The entire idea was born out of the desperation to just be ourselves," said Johnny Coco Williamson, who recently stepped from behind the drum kit to be Stretch Lefty's frontman after longtime vocalist Brian "Tabu" Thomas had to step aside for medical reasons.
"That's really cliche and cheesy," Williamson continued, "but where we're at now, we don't want to [compromise]. Let's just play how we've always played and just play our asses off."
Briggs and the band hope to build Stretch Lefty a large fan base through do-it-yourself touring and promotion then lift other local groups to similar success. It's an ambitious plan, and they think one big step toward it will be building a consensus in Columbus that reaches beyond genre boundaries.
"Sometimes it's nice to not have four of the same kind of band," Briggs said. "You keep it fresh and keep it interesting, and people are going to stay in the room for longer. The crowds are going to be happier. The bands are going to be happier. The venues are going to be happier."
That's the kind of show the Big Bounce Boombox crew wants to throw every Thursday during a new residency at Scarlet & Grey Cafe. Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas, an offshoot band featuring Briggs and Williamson, will appear weekly alongside bands ranging from jazz to funk to indie rock.
Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas have lots of other regional gigs lined up, including a show Friday at The Basement also featuring Fly.Union and The Midas Touch. The same lineup drew 600 people to Stretch Lefty's CD release show last summer.
The album they unveiled, Universe Box, was the result of two years of exhausting weekend trips to record with Briggs, who was working at studios in New York and New Jersey at the time. The disc exhibits a band that has learned to reign in its playing to suit tightly arranged pop tracks like "Radio Friendly" and "Summertime."
That kind of work ethic and maturity will be necessary if Big Box Boombox is to shoot Stretch Lefty to stardom, and certainly if they hope to lift their neighbors along with them.
"I think we all right now are realizing how much work it's really going to take to do something on this scale," Williamson said. "We're really pushing the concept of being proud of Columbus. ... We need to get everybody together and say this is where we're from, and we're proud of it."
"The entire idea was born out of the desperation to just be ourselves," said Johnny Coco Williamson, who recently stepped from behind the drum kit to be Stretch Lefty's frontman after longtime vocalist Brian "Tabu" Thomas had to step aside for medical reasons.
"That's really cliche and cheesy," Williamson continued, "but where we're at now, we don't want to [compromise]. Let's just play how we've always played and just play our asses off."
Briggs and the band hope to build Stretch Lefty a large fan base through do-it-yourself touring and promotion then lift other local groups to similar success. It's an ambitious plan, and they think one big step toward it will be building a consensus in Columbus that reaches beyond genre boundaries.
"Sometimes it's nice to not have four of the same kind of band," Briggs said. "You keep it fresh and keep it interesting, and people are going to stay in the room for longer. The crowds are going to be happier. The bands are going to be happier. The venues are going to be happier."
That's the kind of show the Big Bounce Boombox crew wants to throw every Thursday during a new residency at Scarlet & Grey Cafe. Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas, an offshoot band featuring Briggs and Williamson, will appear weekly alongside bands ranging from jazz to funk to indie rock.
Stretch Lefty and Street Corner Rockas have lots of other regional gigs lined up, including a show Friday at The Basement also featuring Fly.Union and The Midas Touch. The same lineup drew 600 people to Stretch Lefty's CD release show last summer.
The album they unveiled, Universe Box, was the result of two years of exhausting weekend trips to record with Briggs, who was working at studios in New York and New Jersey at the time. The disc exhibits a band that has learned to reign in its playing to suit tightly arranged pop tracks like "Radio Friendly" and "Summertime."
That kind of work ethic and maturity will be necessary if Big Box Boombox is to shoot Stretch Lefty to stardom, and certainly if they hope to lift their neighbors along with them.
"I think we all right now are realizing how much work it's really going to take to do something on this scale," Williamson said. "We're really pushing the concept of being proud of Columbus. ... We need to get everybody together and say this is where we're from, and we're proud of it."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
